CHINA-PLA MODERNISATION: ROCKET FORCE
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An article in Epoch Times (December 6) claimed that much of China’s innovation is in areas that it can’t effectively steal or reverse engineer technology. Much of its own breakthroughs have been with rockets and missiles. It mentioned the case of the PLA Rocket Force which, it said, looks at any military problem and sees if it can be solved with a missile or rocket. One person interviewed for the report said that ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 miles were a Chinese innovation. These developments were made for situations where bombers might risk being shot down. These rockets are also being developed with the intent of striking geosynchronous satellites. Much of China’s space development is for espionage and anti-satellite warfare. While the PLA is much more focused on satellites for intelligence-gathering and espionage, the United States uses satellites more often for early warning on ballistic missiles.One analyst said that China wouldn’t be interested in destroying satellites unless it was intending to fight.
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